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Maybe, he told himself, it will be easier to concentrate on prayerlater

The hours dragged on Scurrying aniuess, and he didn't like to So far, anyway, they seemed timid and scurried ahen he flapped his ars or yelled at theot from the noiseless insects that periodically crawled over him

He heard bats - at least he hoped they were bats, and not restless souls For ould ghosts who haunted these caves need to wait till actual night, when it was always night this deep in the cavern? Whatever they were - Bats, he told hi their leathery wings, squeaking He ducked and covered his head, having heard of bats getting caught in people's hair These were cleverer than that They swooped down and by hi his head by what felt like the span of only two or three fingers They must have a means to the outside He tried to follow them, and once more bruised his head and shins in the dark, and in the end the bats went on without him

Hours later they returned, which meant it must be close to dawn outside He waited, but the blackness around him did not lessen Nor did the cold He was so thirsty, his throat felt closed in upon itself

The cold, at least, there was a solution for, with all those blanket-wrapped corpses near by He preferred to stay cold

"Peace," he assured the dead through chattering teeth "I'll take nothing of yours"

Eventually there cah - all things considered - he wouldn't have thought it was night again already

No, it wasn't the bats; they were overhead This was so closer So soust and fear of the insects and rats dissolved at the thought of bigger predators He had wanted a quicker death than starving or freezing or lack of water, but here so to jump out of the darkness at him and rip out his throat, and he wouldn't even knohat it hile it was killing hi while he'd had a chance He tried to make up for lost ti cats? Or - an even ht - a dead creature, jealous of the air he still breathed, the blood flowing through his veins?

Let it be quick, he prayed And lastly, desperately: I'low that grew brighter as the sounds of approach drew nearer A torch? Had the villagers relented?

Suddenly Selwyn realized what had happened: They had discovered the true murderer They had seen what an awfulto release hi desperately that they weren't too late

Except

Except if that were the case, wouldn't they be calling out to hi hier to let hi?

This didn't sound like a crowd This sounded like one And not likely his father, escaped froh to co out

There definitely was a light; he could see the glow reflecting off the walls of the cavern That eliminated an animal, come to eat him, which would have been his second choice after rescue Did spirits glow? The light was just distinct enough to give hi was coht came around a corner

After a full day of total blackness, the brightness hurt, and he threw his hands up to cover his eyes, hoping if it was an angel, it wouldn't be offended, and if it was a ghostHe was very host

He peeked out froure dressed in black approached, its head covered by a hood One hand was outstretched, and the light wasn't a torch after all, although it was ht for a candle fla heartbeats to realize the ball of light hovered over the outstretched palure's other hand held a corner of the hood up over the lower portion of its face

Not hiding, Selwyn realized Protecting its nose

Surely an angel that was set to accompany dead souls to the afterlife should be used to the smell of death And - Selwyn forced himself to be reasonable - so should dead spirits that walked the earth

The figure had stopped It was standing directly in front of hi all those long-dead and not-so-long-dead bodies

The hand holding the hood dropped, revealing a long strand of white hair and the face of an old woman This old woman said, "Truly you look terrible and s about dead people"

Which didn't sound like sohost would say

He sed convulsively, though there was absolutely no moisture in his mouth "Are you - " He had to stop, his throat constricted by thirst and terror

"Carefully now" The old woer to de foolish, and I will have to smack you on the side of the head" She eh they'd already discussed it

His voice creaking with dryness, Selwyn asked, "Do you warn me beforehand what questions are foolish?"

Apparently not And apparently that was one of them She smacked him on the side of the head

"Ouch"

"Well, I warned you," she said

He decided not to risk asking her anything else He would have backed away, if there was any place to back away to All he could do was huddle miserably on the floor

"Foolish questions," the old wos like 'Ahost?'"

They all sounded like reasonable questions to hiht so, for she looked prepared to sh it hurt his throat to speak, "What if I asked you then: 'Who, or what, are you?' I' who or what you are," he hastened to add "I': 'Would it be a foolish question to ask you: Who or what are you?'"

It took her a few ain, but he saw it co and ducked, so she only clipped his ear

"That was for the 'What are you?' part What could I possibly be, in a place such as this, with a light such as this, seeking so from the dead?"